Important for the turnover of Portuguese businesses and the disposal of their old collections, sales seasons have new rules on how they should be communicated.
So it is that the government has passed a legislative amendment which, among other things, will mean that the discount must be made on the lowest price at which the product was sold in the last 30 days, or that sales can only take place on 124 days a year, consecutive or interpolated.
New rules for sales and promotions
To make sure nothing goes wrong during these important times for the financial health of your business, we explain everything that has changed from now on, so that you can communicate your balances without fines knocking on your door.
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Definition of what a "balance" or "promotion" can be
The new law requires that retailers can only communicate sales, promotions or any price reduction if the discount is applied to the lowest price at which the product was sold in the last 30 consecutive days in the same shop.
In other words, in practice it is no longer possible to use the strategy of increasing prices just before sales/promotions and then applying the discount.
In cases where the products were not on sale in the shop, the Portuguese Association for Consumer Defence (DECO) explains that "products not previously sold by the shop can only be the subject of promotions (i.e. they cannot be sold on sale) and the discount must correspond to the difference between the price charged during the reduction period and the price charged after it ends".
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Ban on new product sales
Another change imposed by the new legislation on sales, promotions and clearance sales is that retailers cannot put new products in the shop on sale/promotion. In other words, products that arrived in the shop during the sales/promotions period or in the previous month cannot be sold at a discount.
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Period of sales and promotions
Sales can only take place on 124 days a year, consecutive or interpolated. With regard to promotions, retailers are free to decide when and for how long to run them.
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Online shopping
As is the case in a physical shop, anyone who buys a product from an online shop on sale can also return it, whether or not it is faulty. According to DECO, "online purchases have the so-called 'right to regret'. Without having to justify the reason for regret and as long as they respect the 14-day time limit, consumers have the right to regret the product they bought and return it, receiving their money back."
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Guarantee in case of defect
The new rules on the guarantee of movable property came into force on 1 January 2022. As such, it is important to remember that the right to a legal guarantee has increased to three years. If the consumer finds a defect, they can demand an exchange within this period.
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Application of fines
Those who don't comply with the new rules risk, according to DECO, "a fine of between 250 and 3,700 euros in the case of natural persons, and between 250 and 30,000 euros in the case of legal persons".
Prepare your business for the summer sales
As well as complying with the new rules on balance reporting, your business will also have to prepare for a large influx of consumers and payments. How?
Paying special attention to payment methods that you provide to your customers, regardless of whether you have a physical or online shop, or both.
Let's start with the Means of Contactless payment, one of the most used by Portuguese consumers.
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Payment Methods in a Physical Store
According to the most recent REDUNIQ Insights reportIn the last six months, around 3 out of every 4 card purchases (74%) were made using the contactless technology and the weight of TPAof the total turnover of businesses connected to the REDUNIQ system - 9% more than in 2021 and 30% more than in 2020.
In addition to proving the gradual consolidation of contactless payments and the growing adherence of the Portuguese to new ways of paying based on the use of a smartphone or a tablet, the wearablesThis data once again emphasises the importance of businesses equipping their shops with mobile terminals. payment with contactless technology.
In order to accommodate this trend in face-to-face payments, REDUNIQ is making the Android POS available to physical businesses REDUNIQ Smart with contactless. As well as allowing payments by card or smartphone, with contactless, chip, MB Way, Apple Pay and Google Pay, this Android terminal offers businesses the possibility of reducing waiting times and, consequently, the size of queues, as well as developing tailor-made apps, adjusted to the needs of their customers, on the POS itself, giving their entire business structure unrivalled mobility and flexibility.
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Online Payment Methods
With a good number of businesses with a physical shop having an extension in the digital market and many others operating solely online, it's becoming equally important to offer the thousands of Portuguese who shop via e-commerce platforms a means of accessing the internet. online payment adapted to new consumer habits.
In this field, REDUNIQ has developed simple and secure solutions for accepting e-commerce payments adapted to the specific needs of each online business. These include REDUNIQ@Payments and REDUNIQ E-Commerce.
REDUNIQ@Payments
Aimed at businesses that want to receive payments online simply and quickly, REDUNIQ@Payments is a turnkey solution that allows you to receive payments by WhatsApp, e-mail and SMS, and via Multibanco, Visa and Mastercard cards, by Multibanco reference or MB Way.
In a simple and secure way, @Payments provides a platform, optimised for smartphones and tablets, where the business creates a link that can be sent by email, SMS or WhatsApp.
When the customer receives the link, all they have to do is click and they will be redirected to a secure REDUNIQ page, thus guaranteeing that the business does not have access to the card details at any stage of the payment.
Advantages:
- Online payments by WhatsApp, e-mail or SMS (payment link issued via the REDUNIQ portal);
- Fast remote payments (can trigger immediate payment to the customer's mobile phone);
- No need for a website or integration with the merchant's website (since the portal is REDUNIQ's), which simplifies the whole process in terms of time and costs;
- The payment page recognises the type of browser and automatically adapts to the screen of smartphones and tablets, without the need for any adjustments by the merchant;
- No monthly fees, no minimum income (you only pay the fees for the payments you make) and no fixed costs.
REDUNIQ E-Commerce
As well as allowing the site to accept online payments with Visa and Mastercard debit and credit cards, by Multibanco reference and MB Way through a simple integration process, REDUNIQ E-Commerce is a solution that, among other advantages, not only provides your business with better management of online sales made, but also guarantees the registration of customer card details (tokenisation) so that, in future purchases, the customer is not forced to enter this information again, making one-click shopping a reality.
Everything is extremely simple. At the time of payment, the customer is directed to a UNICRE payment page where they have to enter their card details so that the issuing bank can validate them. Once validated, the money will be credited to your account in just two working days after the date of the transaction. It should be emphasised that you will never have access to the customer's bank details during the entire process.
Advantages:
- It allows you to accept online payments with cards from the main international issuing systems (Visa and Mastercard) and to manage your sales;
- Simple and fast integration with technical support from REDUNIQ's team of experts;
- There are no membership costs;
- Tuition fee offer;
- It allows the customer's card details to be registered, so that future purchases don't have to be re-entered - one click shopping;
- Possibility of integration with the main shopping carts on the market;
- Integrated view of the entire business, with access to reports and performance analyses;
- Greater security: transactions are always verified and validated by the issuing bank and the merchant never has access to the customer's bank details.
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